HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Verbal Ruling

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

We just received word that we were granted legal guardianship of Patrick and Nicholas. We are not sure whether any of the written documents are completed or not. The documents will be picked up by the sweet people at Amani as soon as they are ready (they have to be signed, sealed, registered, etc.).

Thank you again for your continued support of our family!

home and safe

my mom and dad are safe and sound! we thank you for all of your prayers!

THE MADDUX FAMILY

Yours, God

"I walk the dirt roads of Uganda
I see the scars that war has left behind
Hope like the sun is fading
They're waiting for a cure no one can find

And I hear children's voices singing
Of a God who heals and rescues and restores
And I'm reminded
That every child in Africa is Yours" - SCC "Yours"

A visit with Katie and her precious girls!

Last day in Uganda (well not really)

I was just typing this wonderful post about our last day in Uganda and then I got a phone call from Mike Gallagher. So, we just got word our flight tomorrow was cancelled. We are now on the same flight Wed. and get home the same time Thrs.- into Nashville at 1:10 PM. I am so sorry to all of the people helping us back home. These circumstances are truly out of our control.

Emma, Ava, JJ- we love you all BIG!

Sunday in Uganda

We had a great day today- totally full of action. The day started off with another 29 passenger bus ride to church with Katie and her adorable girls. We had a great time visiting their church where the service was outside on a spectacular Ugandan day- we sang worship songs, heard a great testimony, and received a great word from a United States missionary who is in Jinja planting a church. We then jumped back into the car and went to Katie's house for lunch and stayed the entire afternoon playing with the girls in the backyard. We played tons of soccer, volleyball, raced around the yard, and even had a concert and dance performance by the girls. It was so much fun- these girls are so special and so much fun- I adore each of her girls.

After playing all afternoon, we wanted to get back to Amani to see Patrick and Nicholas after their naps. So, we jumped on 6 boda's (motorcycle taxis)- hilarious by the way- and got back in time to see the boys. We played with Pat and Nick for several hours- even took them across the street to our hotel where they played with cars and ate cookies and then topped off the afternoon with Orange Fantas- a Maddux favorite now! We then went back to Amani and played with the boys in the front yard until it was their dinner time.

It was a full day- full of so much fun! We are now finally showering and going to dinner down at the main house at the Gately with all of our Nashville crew.

Emma, Ava, JJ- we love you BIG and will see you in 3 days!

Saturday in Uganda

Most Saturdays in the fall and after living in the South my entire life, I am totally consumed with college football- who plays, what time is kickoff, what's the pre-game show, where is Gameday, etc. But, after spending today with Katie and our Nashville team with the kids of Amazima, I will never look at Saturdays the same. We had an unbelievable day- including getting 29 people into a van!!! Further, the day was capped off by Tara, Anne, and I finishing the day at Amani playing with Patrick and Nicholas and all the toddler kids at the home. I could go on and on with stories not only from today, but the whole week but, I will just provide some images tonight. If you would like to see some photos, go to my facebook page to see more pics from today and the last couple of days. Thanks so much for your continued thoughts and prayers- we are having a great time but, obviously Tara and I miss the girls- we love you Emma Louise, Ava Rosie, and Sarah JJ!

THE JUDGE SHOWED!!!!

The judge showed, the judge showed, the judge showed! When the judge walked in and we all stood up....my legs went weak! I truly had convinced myself that he would not be there and had already jumped to worrying when they would tell us to come back..would we have to change our flights, would I have to stay here by myself so Drew can get back home to our 3 girls? So, after waiting for 2 hours, the judge asks us to take our noisy children out of the courtroom! We end up being the very last case of the day and when we are asked to come back in, our lawyer who is a PRECIOUS man named Nicholas(my Nicholas is actually named after him because Amani loves him so much) tells the judge about how our boys were abandoned and have no other family(hearing it always hurts my heart). The judge listens, writes a few things down then says he will give his verbal ruling in 1 week! We walk out of court and our lawyer could not believe it, all went smoothly. At this point, Drew and I are covered in every snack that we brought as entertainment and have not eaten, drank or seen a bathroom in over 5 hours. We go to the mall in Kampala to eat and the boys love this idea! They run up and down the ramps holding their Fantas(orange soda that we bribe them with)! We head back to Jinja which is about a 2 hr drive and the boys pass out before we get out of the parking lot:)

Oh, how the Lord answers prayers...thank you Lord for this day

Tara

Daddy and Mommy

No sweeter words can be said by a child than that of being called Mommy and Daddy. We remember firsts as parents with all of our kids- the first step, the first word, the first time they feed themselves, etc. We certainly know what it felt like and how your heart melted when you heard one of your children look up and call you "Daddy" or "Mommy" for the first time- I know I sure remember! Today, we had one of those "firsts" with the boys.

We walked in at about 9:00 AM Uganda time and the boys were sitting at their tables in their activity room doing preschool activities. We walked in and immediately Nicholas made eye contact with Tara and Patrick looked up at me and they used the words Mommy and Daddy and we just were overwhelmed with joy. At that moment, I scooped up Patrick and began to squeeze him and he grabbed the side of my face and planted a big kiss on the side of it- unreal!

Today, we were able to take the boys off-site for a couple of hours. Tara had to meet with the sweet Amani ladies about court tomorrow and expectations and Auntie Anne and I watched the boys at the Palm Tree hotel. We had the best time- singing, dancing, playing in the baby pool, eating snacks, and chasing each other. We had the best time! Before we headed back, we treated the boys to their first taste of pizza- Patrick inhaled it but, Nicholas ate it in well, Nicholas fashion- slow and steady and studied every bite. Great time for all of us- I have to say at this point Auntie Anne is a pretty special babysitter!

The boys are napping now and we will go back at 4:00 or so and play with them some more. Please pray for court tomorrow- that all goes well and the judge does in fact show up! We leave here from the hotel at 6:30 AM and all of us including Mommy, Daddy, Patrick, and Nicholas will be wearing our "smart" clothes (ultimate compliment that you look handsome or pretty!)

Lastly, let me say we miss the girls so much- Emma, Ava, and Sarah James- your Mommy and Daddy love you so much and will see you soon!

"Soda is Good!"

Ok, so many of you know how addicted I am to Soda- any type- Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, etc. - you name a soda and I love it. I got to where I drank more than 5-6 liters of soda a day and if you ever saw me coach a game at CPA, you know you could see me with a Diet Coke firmly planted in my back pocket- where I would go through more than 4 a game and also was known to throw a Diet Coke a time or two. But, lately, as I try to be more health conscious and with the words of my wife and many of you reading this, I have cut back to 1 diet soda a day- I have to admit, I still cheat some days! All I had heard was that soda was bad and not healthy and certainly not good for me- especially at the levels I was drinking.

So....all that to say- as usual- what is bad in each of us, God can use for good. And, on this day- in the words of Gordon Gecko-Soda was Good!

Tara and I tried not to really focus on the fact that Patrick and Nicholas may not connect with us right away. I mean, lets be honest, we sort of expected the worst (they would not connect at all for a while with us) and hoped for the best (by the end of Day 1 they would feel a connection to us). We had already gotten to the place mentally and emotionally that its going to take time, and we were totally fine with that. So, when we got to Amani this morning and literally for the first 30-45 minutes Patrick and Nicholas cried and cried and cried, we both began to wonder if an immediate connection could be made. So, Patrick continued to be held by one of the Mama's at Amani and Nicholas cried but, would not let Tara put him down. This went on for a while and finally sweet Kelsey a volunteer had the idea that the boys receive a treat and were both given glasses of soda with me and Tara sitting right there. We sat in the floor and drank sodas for what must have been an hour and God used that time drinking Orange Fanta to establish a relationship with these boys.

From that point on the day was different, as we spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the yard, holding the boys, coloring in books, and reading Dora books. We went on to have a totally different day than the way it started and we are so thankful for Soda on this day!

One last thing happened right before we left- Patrick is obviously the out-going, talkative one and Nicholas is more quiet and reserved and studies you. Nicholas went hours with his form of communication being pointing and smiling but, right before we left as it was time for bedtime, he looked at Tara with his fists clinching her shirt and said -"I WANT TO GO." Our hearts melted and we were so excited that the day ended much differently than it began.

We made it!

We made it safely to Uganda- and our bags by the way!- so thankful to be here. Long travel day but, would never complain about getting here safe and sound. We will see the boys tomorrow around 12 or 1 Uganda time. Check back here for updates as well as my facebook page.

We are Leaving Tomorrow!

Tara and I are leaving tomorrow for Uganda- please pray for our trip. We are so excited to see Patrick and Nicholas for the first time! We will be blogging while we are in Uganda- check back for video, pics, and more info in the coming days!